The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for digital gadgetry, open code, smart hacks, and more. Processing power to the people!
Over the holidays I dropped my phone into the snow. Again. After cursing some, thinking some, and then cursing some more, I decided to make a backing for my phone that was less slippery than the glass or even the metal one I have. I went through a few materials (thin adhesive-backed silicone, adhesive sandpaper, […]
You can leave your keys at home with this clever hack by Billy Chasen, who rigged up his deadbolt to a Propeller-based Spinneret Web Server. Using an SMS gateway called Twilio, he can open and close the lock by tapping out a quick text message. Not only that, but the system also responds to acknowledge […]
Yesterday the general public learned what a pentalobe is. You might be asking yourself why you’d need such a thing, but if you’re like Uwants member mkmarken, then you’d want it to disassemble your iPhone 4 in order to strip the black coating from the inside of the Gorilla Glass enclosure with a little paint thinner. Just because you’re continually discouraged from opening your device doesn’t mean you can’t make it easier to see what’s inside.
Our pal Kyle Wiens of iFixit writes: Apple is switching to a new type of tamper-resistant screw across their product line. It is not a standard Torx, and there are no readily available screwdrivers that can remove it. They chose this ‘Pentalobe’ fastener specifically because it was new, guaranteeing repair tools would be both rare […]
Spotted by our own Becky Stern over at CRAFT. Looks like it might be a ‘shop job, to me, but who cares? I’m already planning how to make a real one…
Dan Reetz found that the 3.5mm jack in his DSO Nano oscilloscope had a broken solder connection, so he shows us how to fix it and prevent it from happening again by using glue to reinforce the jack. DSO Nano V2.0 pocket oscilloscope
Although the authors seem to be a bit vague about the important detail how long did it take, the robot they built to autodial the combination lock is interesting and fun to watch. [via Hack a Day]
